Gritty Palace win buoys boss in Blues title tussle

LONDON — Mauricio Pochettino sees Tottenham’s gritty 1-0 win at Crystal Palace on Wednesday as a sign his club is ready to pounce if Chelsea stumbles in the title race.

Pochettino’s side closed the gap on leader Chelsea to four points with five games remaining after Christian Eriksen’s late strike clinched a victory that looked unlikely for long periods at Selhurst Park.

Well below its best as it struggled to shake off the frustration of last weekend’s FA Cup semifinal loss to Chelsea, Tottenham appeared ready to squander a chance to keep pace with the Blues before finally recovering its composure.

It was exactly the kind of pressure-packed situation that was Tottenham’s downfall last season, when it allowed Leicester to wrap up the title after briefly threatening to overhaul the Foxes.

But Pochettino is convinced the way his team handled a formidable Palace squad bodes well for its chances of being crowned champion for the first time since 1961.

“We showed great charac-